This disclosure generally relates to a disk holding device, and more particularly to a locking mechanism for a disk holding device.
Hard drive disks typically are manufactured in one location and packaged in disk holding devices, which are subsequently placed in a container for shipment to another location. The disk holding devices eventually are removed from the containers and used to store the hard drive disks during distribution in a production process. The hard drive disks must be protected during all phases of a normal production cycle.
A variety of disk holding devices have been developed for packaging, shipping and distributing disks. Typical disk holding devices include a cassette portion, a cover and a latch to lock the device closed. As is known, hard drive disks are received within a plurality of slots within the cassette portion interior. One example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,059. Other disk holding devices are also known.
During the production process, it is often necessary to remove the cover from the cassette portion of the disk holding device to access the hard drive disks stored within. Automated machinery is often utilized to unlock and remove the cover of the disk holding device. To achieve this result, and because of the locking design of the latch arm of known disk holding devices, the automated machinery must manipulate the latch arm by applying an outward pulling force on the latch arm in a direction away from the interior of the disk holding device to unlock and remove the cover. The manipulation applied by the automated machinery may fail to unlock the latch arm in a relatively large number of instances. Disadvantageously, this may result in decreased production efficiency and increased manufacturing complaints concerning the disk holding devices.
As such, there is a need for an improved arrangement for locking a disk holding device that achieves improved interaction with automated machinery used in the distribution process. This disclosure provides an improved latch arm that satisfies that need.